U.S. patent number 4,630,843 [Application Number 06/555,628] was granted by the patent office on 1986-12-23 for binder.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Harper House, Inc.. Invention is credited to Boyd Willat.
United States Patent |
4,630,843 |
Willat |
December 23, 1986 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Binder
Abstract
A durable binder for holding papers and the like includes
exterior and interior cover sheets that are attached to each other
by heat sealing to define relatively rigid panels separated by
hinge panels. The hinge panels are each characterized by a
multitude of minute separate depressed areas in which the cover
sheets are connected, the depressed areas being surrounded by
intersecting raised areas. The depressed areas can be of varying
depth and can define pockets for holding writing instruments and
other objects.
Inventors: |
Willat; Boyd (Los Angeles,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Harper House, Inc. (Los
Angeles, CA)
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Family
ID: |
27027446 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/555,628 |
Filed: |
November 28, 1983 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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427559 |
Sep 27, 1982 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
281/30; 156/292;
281/31; 402/75; 428/100 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B42F
13/0013 (20130101); B42F 13/406 (20130101); Y10T
428/24017 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B42F
13/00 (20060101); B42F 13/40 (20060101); B42D
003/06 (); B42D 003/12 (); B32B 031/00 (); F16C
011/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;281/30,31,35,36,29
;283/82,83,70 ;156/292,309.6,219,308.4 ;402/75 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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851492 |
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Aug 1952 |
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DE |
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12523 |
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1896 |
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GB |
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Primary Examiner: Bell; Paul A.
Assistant Examiner: Heyrana, Sr.; Paul M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pretty, Schroeder, Brueggemann
& Clark
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.
427,559, entitled Binder, filed on Sept. 27, 1982, now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A durable binder for holding papers and the like, said binder
comprising:
an exterior plastic cover sheet;
an interior plastic cover sheet overlying said exterior cover
sheet, said cover sheets being attached to each other along their
respective peripheries and being foldable together to define
relatively rigid panels separated by at least one flexible hinge
panel, said hinge panel being characterized by a multitude of
minute separated depressed areas in which said cover sheets are
connected, said depressed areas being surrounded by intersecting
raised areas, said cover sheets being connected by heat sealing in
said depressed areas; and
means for releasably retaining said pages between said panels.
2. The binder of claim 1 wherein:
said panels comprise a front panel, a back panel and a spine panel;
and
there are at least two of said hinge panels, each of which
separates said spine panel from said front panel or said back
panel.
3. The binder of claim 2 further comprising a flexible closure
panel defined by said cover sheets, at least a portion of said
closure panel being characterized by a multitude of minute
separated depressed areas in which said cover sheets connected,
said depressed areas being surrounded by intersecting raised areas,
said cover sheets being joined by heat sealing in said depressed
areas.
4. The binder of claim 3 wherein said closure panel extends from
said back panel, said binder further comprising securement means
for releasably securing said closure panel to said front panel.
5. The binder of claim 1 wherein said depressed areas are of
varying depth.
6. The binder of claim 1 further comprising a stiffening sheet
disposed between said cover sheets.
7. The binder of claim 1 further comprising a pocket sheet
overlying said interior cover sheet and attached to said interior
cover sheet along its periphery and in said depressed areas, said
pocket sheet having at least one opening therein to provide access
to a pocket defined between said pocket sheet and said interior
cover sheet.
8. The binder of claim 1 wherein said depressed areas are geometric
and form a repeating pattern.
9. A durable binder comprising:
an exterior plastic cover sheet;
an interior plastic cover sheet overlying at least a portion of
said exterior cover sheet, said cover sheets being attached to each
other along their respective peripheries and being foldable
together to define relatively rigid front, back and spine panels,
and flexible hinge panels separating said spine panel from said
front and back panels, said hinge panels being characterized by a
multitude of minute separated depressed areas in which said sheets
are connected, said depressed areas being of varying depth and
shallowest nearest said spine panels, said depressed areas being
surrounded by intersecting raised areas, said cover sheets being
connected by heat sealing in said depressed areas; and
means for releasably retaining said pages between said front and
back panels.
10. The binder of claim 9 wherein said depressed areas are
geometric and form a repeating pattern.
11. The binder of claim 9 further comprising a flexible closure
panel defined by said cover sheets, at least a portion of said
closure panel being characterized by a multitude of minute
separated depressed areas in which said cover sheets are connected,
said depressed areas being surrounded by intersecting raised areas,
said cover sheets being connected by heat sealing in said depressed
areas.
12. The binder of claim 11 wherein said depressed areas of said
hinge panels and said closure panels form a repeating geometric
pattern.
13. The binder of claim 9 further comprising a stiffening sheet
disposed between said cover sheets.
14. The binder of claim 9 further comprising a pocket sheet
overlying said interior cover sheet and attached to said interior
cover sheet along its periphery and in said depressed areas, said
pocket sheet having at least one opening therein to provides access
to a pocket defined between said pocket sheet and said interior
cover sheet.
15. A durable binder comprising:
an exterior plastic cover sheet;
an interior plastic cover sheet overlying at least a portion of
said exterior cover sheet, said cover sheets being attached to each
other along their respective peripheries and being foldable
together to define relatively rigid front, back and spine panels,
and flexible hinge panels separating said spine panel from said
front and back panels, said hinge panels being characterized by a
multitude of minute separate depressed areas in which said cover
sheets are connected, said depressed areas being surrounded by
intersecting raised areas, said cover sheets being conencted by
heat sealing in said depressed areas;
a sleeve defined by said depressed areas for retaining a writing
instrument; and
means for releasably retaining said pages between said front and
back panels.
16. The binder of claim 15 further comprising a pocket sheet
attached to said interior cover sheet in said depressed areas, said
sleeve being formed between said interior cover sheet and said
pocket sheet.
17. The binder of claim 15 wherein said sleeve is in the shape of a
writing instrument and includes a transverse slit adjacent its
lower most portion, said slit defining a separate compartment
therebelow to receive a pointed end of said writing instrument.
18. A double binder comprising:
an exterior plastic cover sehet;
an interior plastic cover sheet overlying at least a portion of
said exterior cover sheet, said cover sheets being attached to each
other along their respective peripheries and being foldable
together to define relatively rigid front, back and spine panels,
flexible hinge panels separating said spine panel form said front
and back panels, a closure panel extending from said back panel, at
least a portion of said hinge panels and a portion of said closure
panel being characterized by a multitude of minute separated
depressed areas in which said sheets are connected, said depressed
areas being surrounded by intersecting raised areas, said cover
sheets being connected by heat sealing in said depressed areas;
a sleeve in the shape of a writing instrument defined by said
depressed areas and having an opening in the area of said closure
panel for the insertion of said writing instrument in said sleeve;
and
means for releasably retaining said pages between said front and
back panels.
19. The binder of claim 18 further comprising a pocket sheet
attached to said interior cover sheet in said depressed areas, said
sleeve being formed between said interior cover sheet and said
pocket sheet.
20. The binder of claim 18 wherein said sleeve is in the shape of a
writing instrument and includes a transverse slit adjacent its
lower most portion, said slit defining a separate compartment
therebelow to receive a pointed end of said writing instrument.
21. A durable binder comprising:
an exterior plastic cover sheet;
an interior plastic cover sheet overlying at least a portion of
said exterior cover sheet, said cover sheets being attached to each
other and being foldable together to define relatively rigid panels
separated by at least one flexible hinge panel, said hinge panel
being characterized by a multitude of minute separated depressed
areas in which said cover sheets are connected, said depressed
areas being surrounded by intersecting raised areas; and
means for releasably retaining said paper between said panels.
22. The binder of claim 21 further comprising:
a sheet pocket disposed between said interior and exterior sheets
and connected to said interior and exterior sheets in said
depressed areas; and
a sleeve formed between said interior sheet and said pocket sheet
and defined by said depressed areas, an opening being formed in
said pocket sheet for the insertion of an instrument in said
sleeve.
23. The binder of claim 21 wherein said depressed areas are of
varying depth.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to binders and more particularly to
plastic binders for holding notes, price lists, and other written
materials.
Binders, which are commonly used in business and education, often
have operable rings for holding pages and sometimes include pockets
for holding writing instruments and other objects. A typical binder
includes interior and exterior vinyl cover sheets joined by heat
sealing. Cardboard stiffening sheets between the cover sheets can
impart some rigidity and plastic foam padding can be included as
well.
Generally, the binder includes front and back cover panels
separated by one or more hinged panels and, in some cases, a
relatively rigid spine panel. A pliable closure panel that extends
from one of the cover panels can also be included. Usually the
cover sheets are fused together by heat sealing along the periphery
of the binder. Some binders are provided with an additional
transparent plastic pocket sheet that is heat sealed to the
interior cover sheet. Pockets, such as sleeves for writing
instruments and the like, can be formed by this additional
sheet.
Heat sealing is performed using an electrostatic die. A
conventional die is provided with electrically heated brass bars or
projections so arranged that they contact the portions of the vinyl
sheets to be heat sealed. Excess material extending from the fused
edges is torn off, forming a "tear seal".
Conventional vinyl binders are provided with heat sealed strips
extending along hinge areas and closure flaps to impart flexibility
so that the binder can be easily opened or closed. The heat sealing
process causes the melted plastic to flow, leaving thinner material
in the heat sealed areas. Thus, the binder tends to fold and
ultimately crack in these heat sealed areas. Often the area in
which folding takes place as a binder is opened and closed is no
more than 1/8 of an inch wide.
It is sometimes found that heat sealed strips along the spine of
the binder that permit sufficient flexibility also permit the cover
panels to "wobble" in relation to the spine. Another drawback of
conventional binders is that the provision for holding a writing
instrument is often unsatisfactory because thin pens and pencils
tend to fall out. Also a loop provided for the purpose of holding a
writing instrument will somes times interfere when opening or
closing the binder. The formation of these loops often requires an
additional manufacturing step.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, which greatly improves upon conventional
binders, employs an exterior cover sheet and an overlying interior
cover sheet that are foldable together to define rigid panels
separated by at least one flexible hinge panel. The hinge panel is
characterized by a multitude of minute separated depressed areas in
which the cover sheets are connected by heat sealing. The depressed
areas, which may be of varying depths and may be of a repeating
geometric configuration, are surrounded by intersecting raised
areas. Means are provided for releasably retaining pages between
the panels.
The panels include front and back cover panels and, if desired, a
spine panel. A closure panel that extends from the back cover panel
and fastens to the front cover panel may also be provided, and
depressed areas, as described above, can be included in the cover
panel for added flexibility.
Pockets or sleeves can be included to hold writing instruments and
other objects. A pocket sheet, which may be translucent, can overly
the interior cover sheet, being connected to by heat sealing. The
pocket sheet can then be used to form the pockets. These pockets
can be defined by the depressed areas.
A pocket can be in the form of a sleeve can be in the shape of a
writing instrument. The sleeve may have a transverse slit adjacent
its lower most portion to define a separate compartment to receive
the pointed end of a writing instrument.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by
way of example, the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional perspective view of a binder
constructed in accordance with the present invetion;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of
the binder of FIG. 1, showing a portion of a sleeve for receiving a
writing instrument;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the center portion
of another binder constructed in accordance with the present
invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fragmentary portion of an
edge portion of still another binder constructed in accordance with
the invention;
FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional perspective view of an electrostatic
die that can be used to manufacture binders in accordance with the
invention;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of a binder formed
by the die of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of a binder,
including part of a sleeve for holding a writing instrument in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective exterior view of a portion of a
binder constructed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional, interior, perspective view of
another binder constructed in accordance with the invention;
and
FIG. 10 is an enlarged schematic illustration showing the
projections of a die and the impressions formed thereby in
accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A binder 10, shown in FIG. 1, includes an exterior cover sheet 12,
made up of portions 12a and 12b, as best shown in the
cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. An interior cover sheet 14, having
portions 14a and 14b, overlies the exterior cover sheet 12, and the
two cover sheets are separated by intermediate cardboard stiffening
sheets 18a and 18b. Foam rubber padding 18c is provided between the
stiffening sheets 18a and 18b and the corresponding portions 12a
and 12b of the exterior cover sheet. The edges of the cover sheets
12 and 14 are joined by heat sealing.
A translucent plastic sheet 20 may be superimposed and overlay the
interior cover sheet 14, as best shown in FIG. 4, and is heat
sealed simultaneously with the cover sheets 12 and 14 when the
binder 10 is formed. It is heat sealed along an elongated section
of the interior cover sheet 14 to form a sleeve or pocket 14c for
holding a writing instrument, as shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively,
the pocket can be formed by leaving a portion of the pocket sheet
20 unsealed. It similarly forms a pocket for holding pages,
accessible by a slit 20a and the pocket sheet 20.
The sleeve 14c may be formed in the interior of the binder 10 in
any appropriate portion thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary
elongated sleeve 14d extends parallel to the spine 16 of the binder
10 and retains a writing instrument 30. Accordingly, the sleeve 14c
or 14d may be disposed within the spine portion 16, as shown in
FIG. 3, or within the area where the back cover of the binder 10
meets a closure panel 22. When the binder is closed, the closure
panel 22 is attached to the exterior cover sheet 12 of the front
cover of the binder 10 by a Velcro fastener 22.
Heat sealed seams, generally indicated as 26 in FIG. 1, fuse the
cover sheets 12 and 14 together and form the wide pocket 20 and the
sleeve 14c or 14d. The stiffening sheets 18a and b do not extend
into the areas of the spine 16 or the flap 22, both of which must
be bendable so that the binder 10 can be closed.
At the bottom end of the sleeve 14d is an opening or slit 14f,
below which is a tip grip compartment of the sleeve, as shown in
FIG. 2. Thus, a ball point pen 28 can be inserted in the sleeve 14d
so that it overlies but does not enter the tip grip compartment
14g, which remains flat and unopened. Alternatively, however, a
thin wooden lead pencil 30, which may not fit snugly within the
sleeve 14d, can be inserted through the opening 14e and pushed
downwardly into the compartment 14g, bypassing the lower slit 14f,
thus positively preventing the pencil from sliding out of the
sleeve until pulled out by the user. It is helpful in inserting the
pencil 30 into the compartment 14g to apply a slight upward
pressure on the exterior cover sheet 12 underneath the compartment
14g, thereby forcing the slit 14f to open.
The heat sealing process used in manufacturing a binder in
accordance with the present invention may be performed with the aid
of an electrostatic die 32, shown in FIG. 5. The die 32 is
substantially in the shape of an open binder, with die sections 38,
38a and 38b corresponding to the spine and cover panels of the
binder, respectively. Within the cover sections 38a and 38b of the
die 32 are resiliently mounted pressure plates 34 to force out air
from between the binder sheets (only one exemplary pressure plate
being shown in FIG. 5). The die 32 also includes brass bars 36 that
extend along its perimeter, forming tear seal edges that contract
and fuse the edges of the binder, while simultaneously heat sealing
the spine portion 40 (FIG. 6) and any other portions of the binder
that require heat sealing. The die 32 can be mounted on the heat
sealing equipment (not shown) in a face-down position, with the
bars 36 projecting vertically toward the vinyl.
The spine 40 of the binder is impressed, during heat sealing, with
a multitude of minute heat sealing impressions 42 of repeating
geometric configuration. The heat sealed impressions 42 are
produced by corresponding projections or metal dots 38 that form
part of the die 32. One may devise any desired configuration for
the impressions, such as circles, ovals, etc. The impressions 38
could be also square, resulting in a more durable binder. The
impressions or depressed areas 42 are spaced apart and separated by
raised unsealed areas that form intersecting horizontal and
vertical lines.
The heat sealing process causes a thinning of the binder material
and there is, therefore, a risk of tearing or cracking in the spine
40 or any other portion of the binder subjected to massive heat
sealing within a narrow area. This risk is reduced, however, due to
the numerous unsealed areas that criss-cross the heat sealed areas,
these unsealed areas imparting diagonal strength to the binder.
Another binder 48, shown in FIG. 8 and embodying the invention,
includes rectangular heat sealed impressions having varying depths.
Rows of relatively shallow impressions 56 are immediately adjacent
to the borders between the spine panel 48a and the cover panels 48b
and 48c of the binder. Rows of deeper, but not necessarily
uniformly deeper, impressions 52 are situated farther away from the
spine panel 48a. The area of the impressions 50 and 52 forms hinges
between the spine panel 48a and the cover panels 48b and 48c. The
hinges are more flexible in the areas of the shallow impressions
50, because less vinyl material is melted in these areas during the
sealing process, and squeezed in the direction opposite to the
thrust of the die. This creates less rigid areas surrounding the
shallow impressions 50. It is therefore desirable to form one or
more rows of shallow impressions 50 adjacent the spine panel 48a to
create the desired flexible hinge effect. The impressions 52 that
are at a greater distance from the spine panel 48a provide diagonal
bracing, thus increasing the firmness of the binder and preventing
sideways or transverse movement of the cover panels 48b and c
relative to the spine panel 48a.
The hinge effect of the rectangular impressions 50 provides a
binder that is so flexible that one may fold the cover panels 48b
and c back to back. The great flexibility of the hinge panel having
the impressions 50 is such that the holding of pens in this area
does not interfere with the hinging action. Moreover, the binder is
sufficiently expandable to wrap around a thick stack of papers
without damage.
The depth of the shallow impressions 50 and 52 is minute, for
example, about 32 mil, while the depth of the deeper impressions 52
may be 38 mils. The total depth of an exemplary three layer binder
48 is about 46 mils.
The binder 48, the interior of which is shown in FIG. 9, includes
front and back cover panels 48d and 48e, respectively, separated by
a spine panel 48f. Hole-punched paper fillers are normally inserted
between the covers 48d and 48e and releasably held by metal rings
54. A closure panel 56 holds at least one pen (not shown) in a
pocket 58 formed and defined by heat sealing. Pockets and sleeves
60h, i and j (and other unnumbered configurations) are formed
within the binder 48, conforming to the shape of various objects
such as calculators, keys, cards, and the like to be inserted
therein.
A die 52, shown in FIG. 10, is suitable for making impressions by
heat sealing in accordance with the invention. The hatched areas
around the projections 50 and 52 indicate the difference in the
mass of melted vinyl pressed downwardly around the impressions
during the heat sealing process, these areas having more or less
rigidity depending on the depth of the impressions.
While particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and
described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *